Abu Dhabi Knight Riders Vs Sharjah Warriorz Match Report
After a thrilling battle at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders defeated Sharjah Warriors by 30 runs on January 15, 2025, in the International League T20 match.
Batting first in their match, the Knight Riders put up tireless works in what was eventually to be said to be a competitive score of 159 for 5 in their 20 overs. The innings did not start favorably with the loss of Phil Salt and Kyle Mayers in the first few overs. A fighting knock of 32 off 27 balls with four fours from Joe Clarke guided the innings during trouble times. Michael Pepper could only add 7 to the total while Alishan Sharafu stoked the fire with 25 in 22 deliveries as he ensured the score kept ticking.
But it was Laurie Evans who starred with the bat, staying unbeaten with a score of 39 off 31 balls and displaying his abundance of flair with three fours and a six. Andre Russell’s blitz at the end, 24 not out off 12 balls with three sixes, finished off the Knight Riders with a more-than-competitive total.
Adam Milne bowled his full quota of four overs for 37 runs and two wickets for the Warriors. Strong contributions from Southee and Harmeet Singh, with 10.50 and 5.50 economy rates, respectively. Adil Rashid was the most economic bowler, with two wickets in an outstanding spell of four overs for 14 runs.
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Chasing a target of 160, this was not a match in which the Sharjah Warriors took charge. The first over saw Tom Kohler-Cadmore gone for a duck, which already set the tone for the rest of the batting. Jason Roy contributed a whirlwind 6 before becoming the next victim, although it was really Johnson Charles (12) and Rohan Mustafa (20) who made a decent attempt at a reshuffle. Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Karim Janat, however, could not convert their starts into impactful contributions, with Rajapaksa departing for 7 and Janat for 9. Keemo Paul and Tim Southee who were their top scorer with 21 and 24 runs respectively and when they got out, the entire team got dismantled.
For the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, David Willey stood out with figures of 3 for 19 from 4 overs- in great shape and variation. Kyle Mayers and Jason Holder supported well with 2 wickets each, Holder being especially economical.
The Warriors finished their innings at 129 all out in 19.3 overs, only extras really filled the tally. In the end, disciplined bowling from the Knight Riders and some good fielding proved to be the crucial difference.
